Discover
Live Local. Think
Local. Buy Local.
Distribution - This edition of Discover
is published every month and
delivered by Royal Mail to two
alternating areas. In odd months
(Jan, Mar, May etc) it goes to every
letterbox in SO40 postcode sectors
2 & 3. In the even months it goes
to SO40 postcode sectors 7,8 & 9.
Total distribution is 16,000 over
two months.
Advertising - We understand that the
needs of a small business are quite
different to those of a big company,
and our advertising service is very
much targeted at independent and
local businesses. From advert design
to general advice we are here to help
you grow. For more details call
Melanie 023 8026 6388 or email:
melanie @discovermagazines.co.uk

Hello again
Like many at this time of year, ours is a busy
household, with a husband who travels as part of
his job so we’re forever filling or emptying
suitcases
and two teenagers now old enough to
Melanie Tinson
look after themselves (when it suits them).
Working from home means I’m chief co-ordinator; who’s eating what and when
and where they are going. These whirlwind of different agendas means
spending quality time together is something that needs to be given more
attention otherwise months go by when all you’ve done together is fold the
laundry or watched tv in the
do you use a smart phone?
same room. I took my
daughter to Brighton last
To save our contact details
weekend which I’d recommdirect to your smart phone, use
end as it’s enough time in the
I-nigma QR code reader App
and scan for instant download.
car to talk (permission to
plug in to music on the way
back!) and perfect for boutique shopping, lunch and beach. Walking the dog
together is a good opportunity to catch up and it gets you out of the house.
The Hampshire Walk (p20) is a popular feature in the magazine (did you
notice the design makeover and new features?) so why not go en famille and
try it out? Throughout the magazine we feature local events in and around
Southampton, some are free so if something interests you, set the date in your
diary, book your daughter or son or partner in and as my father always says
“make it happen”.
The driving force behind the magazine redesign was better focus on our
advertisers who financially make this free magazine to our readers possible.
They rely on local people buying locally so we want to support them with our ethos of Live Local. Think Local. Buy Local.
Every month we feature the person behind a local business
in Upfront & Personal which this month is Richard Cutler of
Totton & Eling Tennis Centre (p7). And finally, if you contact
an advertiser please remember to tell them you found them
in Discover.
And if all that wasn’t enough, we’ve put all the local information on local clubs, societies and local events on our new
Discover website for residents www.discovercommunity.co.uk

The People
Behind
Your Local
Businesses
Richard Cutler, Totton &
Eling Tennis Centre
With a background in international
logistics, and an earlier career
spent in Germany, it is perhaps
surprising that I find myself
celebrating my 10th year as
Director of Serving Tennis and the
Totton & Eling Tennis Centre!
What started out as a conceptual
conversation amongst family
members about how the
landscape of community tennis
could be changed, became reality
in 2004 with the opening of an
8-court floodlit tennis facility and
clubhouse. This was only possible
due to the vision and support of
Totton & Eling Town Council, who
understood the positive impact
that such a facility could have.
Almost a decade later, there are
over 250 children and adults
attending coaching groups each
week, hundreds of people

regularly hiring courts, and more
than 160 members. The
backbone of the facility is the
close relationship with around 20
local schools and the New Forest
School-Sport Partnership. Every
year more than 2,000 children
receive curriculum tennis
coaching, and each summer,
around 220 children take part in
the New Forest Inter-School
Competition.
As a family business, we try to
offer the best possible customer
service, making our facility
welcoming and professional. We
like to think that we offer ‘big
business service’ with the care
and attention of a small business!
This has allowed us to tailor our
offer for as many people as
possible, and provide local
residents with an individual and
personalised service.
Our goal today is the same as it
always has been - to remove all
barriers to tennis participation.
We achieve this is many ways,
e.g. courts cost only £4-6 per
hour, including free equipment
loan. We also offer new
participants a free coaching taster
session, and have a café that is
open to the general public 7 days
per week.
Community Tennis does not
always make a commercially-

Richard Cutler

viable business, and the majority
of our outreach work is either free,
or highly subsidised. However,
whilst there are inevitably
sleepless nights regarding
cashflow, ultimately seeing
thousands of people in the local
area accessing tennis in a
welcoming environment, makes it
all worthwhile. Whilst we are
currently without a sponsor to
support our outreach work, this is
something that I am exploring.
I am also privileged to be the
‘Honorary Consul to Germany’, a
role that involves providing
support to local German citizens.
I cover Hampshire & IOW, Dorset
and Wiltshire, and my consular
duties are based at the tennis
centre. This provides an
interesting interlude to my
working week, and as many would
expect, I have convinced a
number of my clients to take up
tennis!
Totton has a lot to be proud of,
and I know that local people
greatly value the tennis centre
and the surrounding Hanger Farm
Park. Whilst there are still people
who do not know we are here, we
are working hard to raise our
profile, and encourage as many
people as possible to come and
see us this summer!
Further information is available on
www.servingtennis.net or 023 8066
7532.
7

live local

Striding out with
Friends Unlimited
A Support Group
for Diabetics
All friends together

Friends Unlimited is Southampton’s Premier Dance
and Social Group. Running for over 12 years, it has
evolved into an active group for singles and couples,
the mature side of 40, wanting to make new social
contacts. In addition to regular dances, they also
arrange walks, lunches, ten pin bowling, curry nights
and a lot more. Their next event is lunch at Annie’s
Kitchen Restaurant in Kimbridge on Sun 4th August.
023 8027 4120 or visit www.friends-unlimited.org.
uk for other August events.

The Diabetes UK Southampton Group welcomes
diabetics of all ages, and friends and family
members. They meet every 6-8 weeks for talks by
medical experts and the opportunity to meet fellow
diabetics. There is no charge except for a small
tea/coffee contribution. The next session, ‘Diabetes,
a Consultant’s View’ is on Monday 2nd September at
Christ the King Catholic Church Hall, Commercial
Street, SO18 6AP from 7–9pm with Dr Mayank
Patel. For details ring 023 8040 4881.

Sketch Group
Join Hampshire Sketch Group for a regular get
together to sketch, draw or paint around Hampshire.
It doesn't matter what level of experience you have,
even if you've never drawn, painted or sketched
before - all are welcome! Details on www.discover
community.co.uk

Southampton Old Cemetery

Help for Older People Take a Walk on
the Wild Side
Community First New Forest is the new provider of
the New Forest Community Support Service. Funded
by Hampshire Country Council, it supports over 300
people in the New Forest District and is keen to help
more. Their trained support workers provide advice
on benefits, housing/tenancy related needs and
options, home safety checks, adaptations to your
home, local social groups information and arranging
community transport and can help arrange any care
needs/home help. The service is free for the first 12
weeks after which there is an hourly rate unless
you’re in receipt of a means tested benefit. Tel on
01425 478005 or visit www.cfnf.org.uk.
8

Friends of Southampton Old Cemetery are hosting a
series of regular walks this summer. Wildflower &
Butterflies on the 1st Sunday of the month at 2pm
and Hertigage Walks on the 1st Wednesday of the
month at 11am. FoSoC aims to uphold the original
purpose of the cemetery which is to be a place of
reflection and remembrance of the people buried
there and to support the ecological aims of the
adjoining Southampton Common (a Site of Special
Scientific Interest), and to treat it with the same
care. Walks start from Main Gate on Cemetery Road.
Tel: 07538 888 655 Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm please.

Urban Jungle

Stampeed!!

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Marwell
Wildlife is bringing Go! Rhinos, a world class mass
public art event, to the streets and parks of
Southampton. For 10 weeks throughout this summer
(13th July – 22nd September), rhino sculptures will
inhabit the streets of Southampton, showcasing the
wealth of artistic talent in the area, while
highlighting the significant conservation threat
facing wild rhinos and how the Southampton
business community can make a difference.

NaFoF Newbie Night
NaFoF stands for National Federation of Friends but
despite its rather grand sounding name NaFoF is a
great way to meet new people, make long term
friends and make the most of life by taking part in
the many activities on its calendar including
quizzes, cinema nights, parties, mini holidays,
sporting events and yes, pubbing and Clubbing.
Members are in their 30s and 40s and you can go
along for 4 weeks before joining. Non members are
welcome at their next welcome evening on Thursday
15 August from 8pm at Santo Lounge, 429 Shirley
Road, SO15. For the weblink to their site go to
www.discovercommunity.co.uk

The House at Pooh
Corner : Family Fun
On show for the first time in over a decade will be
36 beautiful hand-painted illustrations by E. H.
Shepard for the classic children's books Winnie the
Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. A fabulous
family quest trail lets you follow in the footsteps of
your favourite characters around Mottisfont's
grounds, ticking off many of your '50 Things to do
before you're 113/4' as you go.
Coinciding with the exhibition there will be great
outdoor activities on several weekends.
20/21 July: Pooh-Stick Boats
10 August: Make Mottisfont's biggest daisy chain
17th/31st Aug, 1 Sep: Build a kite (small cost)
There is also a fabulous family trail running all
summer. More details at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
mottisfont.

Discover your
National Park Day
Enjoy a day of walks and activities in and around the
New Forest Centre and historic Queen's House
gardens on Thursday 15th August. Take part in craft
activities, see the Verderers' Court, find out about
the wildlife of the forest and much more. Tel 023
8028 3444

Summer Holiday Nature Detectives
Lepe Country Park is hosting its popular hour long children’s activities throughout the summer. No need
to book, but all children must be accompanied by an adult. 1pm outside the park office. £2 p/child.
9

HEALTH

oils to a bite and sting lotion or
cream: Burdock, Plaintain,
Echinacea, Feverfew, Nettle,
Yellow Doc and St John’s Wort.
Some oils can be used as a
preventative by putting them in
a lotion or water spray and
applying to the skin. For
example, Lavender, Rosemary,
Tea Tree or Citronella.

Feeling the itch?
With the British summer finally
here it’s not just us embracing the
warmer weather - as we peel our
winter layers off and take our
arms and legs out of hibernation,
summer bugs will also make
their untimely appearance,
Julia Faukles explains.
Over the past couple of
years wet and warm summers
have resulted in an explosion in
mosquito and flea populations,
which can only mean one thing –
bites and more bites.
You’d like to think you would take
it as a compliment that insects
think you’re tasty enough to feast
on, but it’s not much fun when
you’re left with burning, red,
swollen and itchy marks - not to
mention the pain from stinging
nettles after balmy walks in the
countryside and picnics in the
park.

On-the-spot treatments
There are some simple ways
you can help relieve any
discomfort if you’ve
been bitten or stung:
wash the area with
soap and water,
use a cold
compress or
an ice pack
(a bag
10

of frozen peas will do the trick)
and try not to scratch to prevent
infection.
You can also use a spray or cream
that contains local anaesthetic,
antihistamine or mild
hydrocortisone to
prevent itching and
swelling, or take an
antihistamine tablet
(check with your doctor or
pharmacist if you are pregnant,
breastfeeding or worried about
drowsiness or allergies to
medication).

Alternative remedies
• For stinging nettle rashes rub
the affected area with dock
leaves for some instant relief –
they are normally found growing
near nettles.
• Homeopathy is often used to
treat bites and stings. For
example, Apis and Ledum can
help reducing swelling and
relieve aching pains.
• Essential oils such as Tea
Tree Oil and Lavender
Oil (dabbed on neat)
can be a useful
addition to your first aid
kit and provide on-the-spot
relief as well as helping reduce
the risk of infection. You can
also add any of the following

Always seek medical advice if you
have wheezing, difficulty
breathing or swallowing, excess
swelling around the bite or sting,
or flu-like symptoms that appear
to become worse rather than
better.
If you’ve previously had a severe
reaction you will normally be
offered an adrenaline pen or be
referred to an allergy clinic for
further investigations.

Preventing stings and bites
How can you prevent yourself
from being stung in the
first place?
• Use an insect
repellent at
times when
you’re more likely to
be stung and try and keep your
skin covered.
• Keep an eye on your drinks to
make sure that wasps or bees
haven’t sneaked inside for a
cheeky sip– they particularly
like sweet drinks.
• Try not to panic when you see
an insect that may sting – if
you wave your arms around you
are far more likely to be
stung. Stand up slowly,
walk away and it will
usually buzz off.
• Use mosquito nets if
you’re camping outdoors or put
thin netting or door beads over
doors to prevent insects from
coming inside.

11

12

13

14

15

YOUR HOME

Finding
the perfect
builder
Mr Perfect?

If you’re considering
home renovation,
extension or even a
self-build, Kate McLelland
offers some wise words
here, that might just save
your costs from going
through the roof

As I write, I am currently four and
a half weeks into a ‘three week’
kitchen renovation project. A thin
layer of dust covers everything I
own and there is a dent in my new
fridge. The workmen have lost their
initial enthusiasm and are
grumbling about the job, their boss
and their working hours. The
kitchen unit supplier and the
builder are at loggerheads and the
constant roar of power tools has
begun to drive me crazy (not to
mention an unending diet of
microwavable meals).

Does the perfect builder exist?
If you have ever had building work
carried out you might well shrug
and say: “Nothing new there”, but
in my case I thought – no, I really
believed - I had found the Perfect
Builder.
So, does the perfect builder exist
and if so, how can you find this
almost mythical creature?
Your search will be easier
if you follow some
basic guidelines.
The internet is
currently awash with
websites bearing such
names as www.mytrusted
builder.co.uk, but it’s best to take
some of their customer comments
with a pinch of salt. Unfortunately
no review system is foolproof and
it’s not impossible to fake
feedback.
16

Recommendation
There’s no substitute
for personal recommendation, so
the first rule is to ask locally to see
which tradesmen your neighbours
would recommend (or not).
Looking here in your magazine is a
great place to search of course,
because the tradespeople are local
and the editor is likely to have
been forewarned of any true
rogues. Look for their accreditation
on their adverts e.g. TrustMark
(www.trustmark.org.uk) is a not for
profit organisation, licensed by the
Government and supported by
consumer protection groups, that
aims to connect members of the
public with trustworthy building
professionals. Additionally,
Hampshire’s Buy with Confidence
Scheme is worth looking out for.
All the businesses on their scheme
have been vetted and approved by
Trading Standards to ensure that
they operate in a legal, honest and
fair way.
Watch out for those too-good-to-betrue reviews and compare quotes
carefully when recruiting or
checking your builder online.
Although the feedback is useful to
read, membership of some of these
organisations involves the barest
minimum of checks and it can be
fairly easy for a company to fake
their credentials.
Once you have identified three or
four companies to call, the next

stage will be to invite them to your
house so they can quote for the
work. Take a deep breath before
you open the door to your chosen
candidates, because you will
almost certainly meet some
colourful characters, each with a
different approach to your job.

Do your home-work
It’s useful to start with a list of the
things that you want done, so make
several copies and give one to each
builder. That list will probably
change as you discuss the work,
but it’s still a good place to start.
Ask the builder to quote separately
for each item on your list. If you
accept a quote for a global amount
- “To renovate and fit bathroom,
£12,000+VAT” - he may come
back to you later, claiming that
certain items were not included in
the original quote. With no written
evidence to the contrary, you’ll
have no basis for negotiation.
When I invited quotes for my

kitchen, one builder refused point
blank to price up the job because
“You never know what’s lurking
behind them old kitchen units
and tiles”.
I didn’t give him the job, but he
had a fair point – an estimate can
only be based on what is visible to
the naked eye. You must always
allow a contingency for hidden
expenses, but no building firm
should expect to start work without
having provided at least some idea
of their charges.
You should ask the same questions
of each person who comes to
quote: “How long will it take?”
“Do you have your own team of
tradesmen, or do you subcontract?”
“Will you provide a contract for the
work?” “Have you done any similar
jobs locally and can I contact the
householder for a reference?”
If your builder makes you feel that
such questions are inappropriate or
unnecessary, show them the door: a

reputable company should be
happy to provide evidence of their
work. Be aware that a few
manipulative individuals may try
to strike up a rapport with you,
knowing that they’re more likely to
pass off sub-standard work if they
win your trust. The best builderclient relationships remain on a
businesslike footing, so keep your
eyes open and don’t be taken in
by a charm offensive.
The tips described above may
make choosing a builder seem
straightforward, but in practice
I’ve found it’s not that easy. I chose
someone who arrived on time,
made careful notes, gave positive
answers to all my questions and
provided an itemised estimate but
even the best builder can’t avoid
the inevitable disruption and
mess. “Trust me, it’ll be worth it,”
he persistently reminds me as I
watch the project progress. Oh,
the power of positive thinking!

17

A SHORT STORY

Game,
Set &
Match
Story by Jackie Brewster

Danny had spent
all morning playing tennis on his
own against the garage door. He
had won nearly every game, and
now felt confident enough to take
on a real opponent.
His plimsolls stuck to the hot
tarmac as he walked along the
deserted avenue to his friend
Alex’s house. The heat had sent
everyone indoors. Even the birds
had stopped singing.
He found Alex sitting on the edge
of his pond, with feet dangling in
the water.
“Want a game of tennis? Danny
asked. “You’ll need your own
bat”.
Alex grinned and nipped in the
shed. He returned with a cobweb
covered table tennis bat. It didn’t
look at all like Danny’s racket,
and he suspected that it might
give his friend quite a large
handicap, but decided not to say.
If Alex was happy, then he was
happy.
Both boys agreed that Alex’s
garden was perfect for tennis. It
had the pond in the middle to act
as a net, a shed on one side and
patio doors on the other to act as
goals.
They had a few practise shots
while Danny explained the rules.
“If I hit the patio doors it’s a goal
to me, and if you hit the shed it’s
18

a goal to you. If the ball goes in
the pond then whoever hit it in
has to get it out and they lose a
point”.
Danny knew that when you start
the game it’s called ‘Love All’,
but didn’t mention this in case
Alex thought it was a girl’s game
and refused to play.
“It’s a draw if you get juice,”
Danny said instead. Alex seemed
both confused and impressed.
“Okay,” he bounced up and
down. “Let’s play!”
In spite of the ping pong bat,
Alex proved a more challenging
opponent than the garage door;
for one thing he argued over
goals. For example, when Alex’s
shot bounced off the shed roof,
rolled along the guttering and
disappeared down the drainpipe,
Danny agreed that the shot was a
work of genius, but didn’t think it
was worth five goals. They
compromised on two and a half.
Alex also hit the ball so that it
seemed to magically fly straight
through Danny’s racket. The ball
would then disappear over the
garden gate. Danny found that he
was searching for the ball in the
next door garden much more than
he was hitting it. And he was
getting hot.
Also, unlike the garage door, Alex
constantly questioned the rules.

While Alex agreed that it didn’t
matter how many times the ball
bounced, he refused to believe
that kicking it was okay.
Unfortunately this made quite a
few of the goals that Danny
scored disallowed.
Danny was starting to suspect
that this game wasn’t going his
way. He noticed that, in spite of
all his morning’s practise, he was
scooping more balls out of the
pond than Alex, and hoped that
his friend was not keeping too
close an eye on the score.
Eventually, both boys, the shed
and the patio doors were covered
in dark splodges of pond water.
Danny was tired, thirsty and
several goals behind. He couldn’t
go on much longer, but
desperately didn’t want to lose
this game.
The patio doors slid open and
Alex’s mum appeared,
accompanied by the welcome
sound of ice cubes tinkling in
glass tumblers.
“I’ve made you boys a drink,”
she called.
“Brilliant!” Alex threw down his
bat. “Game over!”
“What’s the score?” she asked, as
Alex slurped his drink.
“We’ve got juice,” Danny said,
thinking fast. “So that mean’s it’s
a draw”.

19

Walk from Marwell around Owslebury

this walk is a very pleasant
stroll without being too taxing;
it covers a distance of
approximately 4 miles, which
should take around an hour
and a half at a steady pace.
It starts at Marwell Zoo Car Park,
Colden Common, Winchester, SO21
1JH where there is plenty of
parking. The footpaths double as
bridleways around most of the route
as the local riding stables use these
trails regularly for their exercise
outings, so please give the horses
the space they require as you pass
them.
Exit the car park down the slope
at the rear and head down into the
woods.
After 150 metres the path joins
another, where you turn right to
pick up a main bridleway for a
further 150 metres before
meeting a T-junction with path
finger posts.
20

Turn left up the slope, keeping a
big field on your left.
After a distance of 200 metres
there are steps on both sides of
the path â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at this point you need
to take the right hand option
through a gate, into a wildlife
woodland. In this section there are
all manner of plants and many
birds in the broadleaf woods.
At the far end of these woods pass
through a gate opening into a
bigger track and the trees fade
away on both sides. There is a
long but gentle climb between
fields and a view across the valley
to the right where the furthest
enclosures in Marwell Zoo come
into view.

Eventually the track meets a large
gate which opens onto a shingle
path with some large houses on
the left and the outbuildings for
Lower Farm on the right.
As you meet the road outside,
turn left uphill towards Owslebury,
taking care on this 400 metre
section as there is no footpath
for this short time.
At the top there is a small green
and the pub, The Ship Inn, which
marks the turning point. Turn left
past the pub, down the hill for
only a short distance. Where the
road sweeps right go left down the
waymarked path for 150 metres.
You will reach a point where there
are three choices of route. Take

HISTORICAL nOTE...
In AD 964 land at Owslebury was granted to
the Bishop of Winchester by King Edgar.
According to the Domesday Book the Manor of
Owslebury was held by the Bishop before and
after the Norman Conquest.
In the early days the manor was called Twyford
with Marwell, but during the 14th century it
became known as Marwell or Marwell
Woodlock, although the parish was still called
Owlesbury.
The Bishop of Winchester had a park at
Marwell from the thirteenth century to the
mid-seventeenth century where timber was
cut, cattle were pastured and animals were
hunted at various times.
Marwell Zoo was founded by John Knowles.
John originally bought a small 127 acre farm
just before his 21st birthday, on which he
developed a poultry production business. The
sale of part of this allowed him to purchase
the 414 acre Marwell Hall Estate and Marwell
Zoo was opened in 1972. John has written
about his founding of Marwell Zoological Park
in “My Marwellous Life” which can be
purchased online (e.g. Amazon).

the furthest left
path, marked with
a blue arrow and
wide enough for
several people. The
underfoot surface
is fine rolled grit
and runs gently
downhill for a just
over a kilometre. There is an avenue of trees either side
of this path providing shelter from any wind, which
means that views across South Hampshire can only be
snatched between the foliage as you travel.
At the first full junction of this path (there is a minor
one half way down) turn left, continuing on another
downhill stretch and soon passing the steps that set you
off at the beginning.
You are now on the return section that was completed at
the start so the last part is a reverse process – turn right
at the T-signpost, 150 metres up turn left and in a final
150 metres you will be in the car park again.
A downloadable pdf of the walk and enlarged map is
available online at www.discovercommunity.co.uk

21

TECHNOLOGY

High tech
holidays
Some of the
most useful
travel gadgets
are the
simplest. The
TanSafe is a
great example:
1 it looks like a
standard bottle of sun cream, but
it's a secret safe that's big
enough for your cash, cards, keys
and even your mobile phone (but
not a phone case).
It's even watertight,
2
so it can protect your
phone from the odd
splash. At £7.99 it's
cheap too.
Some of our favourite
technology solves
problems we thought
were with us forever such as creased
shirts. For £34.99, the Shirt
Shuttle1 MK2 is a hanger that you
wrap your freshly ironed shirt or
blouse around, folding it and
clipping it shut to protect your
shirt from creasing. How attractive
it is depends on how much you
hate ironing: a travel iron will set
you back around £10, while a
portable garment steamer such as
Rowenta's DR5050 promises to
unwrinkle anything for £30.
If you're travelling with children,
there's no shortage of technology
that can keep them amused on
even the longest trip. Apple's iPad
22

Mini2 is ideal, providing all the fun
of an iPad without the weight or
price, but it's still quite expensive
at £269; an iPod touch does
much the same thing in a
3
smaller case for half the
price, or a quarter of the
price if you're buying used.
If you prefer Android tablets
Google's Nexus is a good buy at
£159. All of these devices can
run apps, and you can copy video
from your computer or buy or rent
videos from wherever you
can find an internet
connection. We'd advise
against 3G devices that
connect to the mobile
phone network: there are
often very high charges
for data roaming.
The problem with many
travel-related gadgets is
that they can be very large and
very heavy - and that's terrible if
you're trying to keep everything in
a single suitcase that doesn't
exceed the airline's weight limit.
For example, a wireless speaker
such as the Supertooth Disco
weighs a massive 1.1kg, and it's a
hefty size too. When it comes to
travel speakers, small can be
beautiful: the £18 X-Mini II
Capsule speaker3 weighs just 82g
but it punches way above its
weight. It doesn't sound as good
as a top-end speaker system but
it's a vast improvement on any

smartphone's speakers. If size
really does matter, you can even
cut the size of your plugs - but
beware, because it can
be pricey. The Mu
Folding Plug4 is a
3-pin plug with a
USB socket on the
other side, and it folds
down to a titchy 1.4cm but at around £25 for one,
it's considerably more expensive
than standard plugs.
Now that we're travelling with lots
of gadgets, powering and/or
recharging them can be a
problem: it's not unusual to have
a camera, an e-reader, a
smartphone and a music player
competing for the same plug
socket as the TV or hairdryer.
Rather than packing multiple
chargers or 4-way extension leads,
it might be a better idea to invest
in a 4-port worldwide travel
charger, which comes with 4 USB
ports in the top and a collection
of interchangeable plugs that
work almost anywhere in the
world, all for around £10. Such
chargers aren't powerful enough
for iPads, which draw massive
amounts of
power, but
4
they're fine for
smartphones,
cameras and
other popular
bits of kit.

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25

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27

YOUR GARDEN

Home
grown
herbs
There’s a really reliable,
easy, low-cost and loweffort way to add some zing
to your meals; home-grown
herbs. Many herbs are
simple to raise from seed
and if you start sowing now
you should be able to have
a plentiful supply of fresh,
tasty herbs to add to
salads, sandwiches, stews
and stir-fries for months to
come. All you need is a
sunny window sill or
balcony, or a well-drained,
sunny spot in your garden,
so why not sow a few pots
and brighten up your
cooking?

You can almost smell them?

First, find some good quality
multi-purpose compost, your
chosen herb seeds and some
pots. Good-quality compost is
well worth the little bit extra you
need to pay. The style of pot is up
to you – you may want to choose
a classic Mediterranean feel with
terracotta, or a stylish modern
look, or perhaps a good-looking
plastic planter for longevity and
light-weight characteristics that
make it better for a balcony and
easier to move about too.
Whatever style you choose, bear
in mind that plenty of drainage is
essential, and that the smaller
herbs do not need a deep root
run, so there is no need for a very
tall planter or pot. It is best to
grow each type of herb in its own
individual pot, so buy a selection
of pots with a minimum diameter
of 8cm.
Once you have your pot to hand,
put a broken flower pot or other
drainage material in the base and
then fill with good quality
compost to within 1cm of the rim
of the pot and firm it down, not
too aggressively, but enough to
ensure that there’s no subsidence
later on. With large seeds such as
coriander, position the seeds

28

Top herbs that grow
well from seed
A visit to your favourite local
garden centre or a peruse of
the seed catalogues is bound
to fill you with inspiration as
there are a lot of herbs which
do very well in pots when
sown from seed. Some of my
favourites include Italian or
Genovese basil, lemon basil,
chervil, Coriander ‘Cilantro’
for leaves, flat-leaved parsley,
Ainse, Thai basil, chervil,
chives, fennel, garlic chives.

evenly on the compost surface.
Sprinkle smaller seed thinly. The
seeds need to be covered with
compost so use your finger or a
dibber (an old ballpoint pen or
pencil will do) to gently press the
seed in to the very surface of the
compost and then drizzle more
compost on top to the depth
stated on the packet of seed.
Water the compost thoroughly
either carefully from above using
a watering can with rose
attached, or by standing the pot
in a saucer of water for a few
minutes until the compost
surface is just moist. The
advantage of watering from below
is that you are less likely to
disturb the seeds.

The seeds generally germinate
quite quickly and often within
just a week or two you’ll have lots
of tiny herbs like this coriander.
For shorter-lived herbs, such as
coriander and basil its worth
sowing in succession. All this
means is that you need to use a
small pot full of seed every few
weeks, rather than sowing the
whole packet in one go. This will
give you a near constant supply of
herbs and if you look at the
number of seeds per packet you
will soon see what amazing value
they are.
Once the herbs are up and
growing strongly you can start to
harvest them. Use sharp scissors
or a sharp knife to cut off what
you need; this way you’ll
minimise damage to the growing
plants and so help to keep them
cropping for longer. As long as

you keep the pots adequately
watered, ideally by watering from
the base, they should last for
several weeks or months but
make sure that the compost is
not too wet or else your herb pots
won’t last long. These plants are
mostly of Mediterranean origin
and hate wet feet. If at any stage
you find that you’re not eating
them fast enough and have an
excess of herby foliage, store
some for later use. Ice cubes give
you a really great fresh-herb taste
off-season. Just half fill the
sections in an ice-cube tray with
water. Add chopped fresh herbs
to each section and top up with
water. Label the tray as chopped
herbs in ice can be difficult to
identify. The attractive herb-filled
ice cubes can then be popped
whole in to stews and casseroles
as and when you need them.

Pippa Greenwood

Visit Pippa’s website
www.pippagreenwood.com and
sign up for Pippa’s free newsletter
packed full of gardening hints,
happenings, advice and offers
and you will also receive a free
ebook on organic gardening.
Don’t forget that you can buy
nemaslug and other biological
controls, anti-slug matting and
tape, Enviromesh and signed
books, vegetable packs and a
hand-picked selection of garden
products from the website too.

29

30

SpOt the Difference

There are 10 diďŹ&#x20AC;erences between the two
images below. How many can you spot?

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